FAM- Flexible Additional Modules

How can we solve the problem of urban sprawl?This is the question we tried to answer with our project: FAM flexible additional modules!Our research analyzed typologically the post-war buildings in Italian territory in order to find a modular solution that could fit their different spatial conditions. We saw that all these buildings have a regular grid of pillars of about 4-6 meters and a flat roof with vents.

It’s important to understand the construction principle because one of the major problems when increasing the height of an existing building is its connection with the new construction.Our solution is flexible and adaptable. The existing pillars of reinforced concrete absorb the weight of the new construction. In correspondence with the existing pillars, the steel pillars support a new wooden floor. This structural aspect is very important because Italy is an area with high risk of earthquakes. This creates also a freedom of articulation of interior spaces. This is a solution also for the vents of the existing roof.

Our proposal is 2 modules that are of the same size but are conceptually opposed. Each module is an apartment. Module A is internally focused on a central patio void. In contrast, module B opens to the outside. The apartment layout is focused on external views. Depending on the context where the modules are to be located, their different combinations provide solutions for all possible site conditions.If the existing building is surrounded by a beautiful park, the new construction will consist of only modules B. In contrast, if the existing building is located in a very noisy environment, the new construction will consist of only modules A.

The internal spaces are organized in five bands: the central one includes the services and the systems, the following contains the living areas and the last band contains the sleeping areas.In regard to the internal spaces we wanted to use as much as possible natural materials that maximize the occupant comfort and at the same time respect the environment. For this reason we made an extensive use of wood, a renewable material, which was used in the bearing structure as Kerto VLV panels, in the insulation as wood fiber, and also for the finishes.

We used zinc for the siding to differentiate our project from the existing building, while for the interior wall we used a clay plaster which is able to adjust the moisture levels of the space. The shape aims at helping cooling and heating in different seasons and the energy production tries to make the apartment autonomous for electricity and for heating systems. The electricity production is guaranteed by photovoltaic panels on the roof. With a total surface of about 39 square meters we could produce sufficient energy power for all devices inside the house with a surplus of 1.938 kW, for year.

Related attachments

City Above the City architecture competition

Content Area 2

Metsä Wood challenged architects and students around the world to push the boundaries of modern wood building design in the urban environment. Entrants from 40 countries created their Plan B to urbanisation using wood (Kerto® LVL – laminated veneer lumber) as the main material. The task was to design a wooden extension to an existing urban building. The entries were designed to 69 cities worldwide.